Affection
by singingturrets
Summary: Gwen and Kevin's relationship begins to unfold, but sometimes the world choses not to accept who one loves. Will the two be able to make it if everyone else says that they can't? KXG Please Read and Review!YES I HAVE UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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A/N: I decided to go into a different direction compared to the ficiton that I have previously posted here. I want to write something that goes into depth with Kevin and Gwen's relationship, but I also want it to not be humor based, which is what I usually 'll still be humor, though. I also want to have longer, more descriptive chapters with this story, so I hope that I'm able to do this. Please read and tell me what you think.

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**Chapter One**

The night began to reach its peak as I sat on my roof, my knees hugging my chest. Thousands of stars lit up the onyx sky, and my mind was racing as usual. This had been happening often over the last couple of months, ever since he came into my life. After hours of failed sleep attempt, I would find myself outside my bedroom window, trying to find some extent of peace in the silence that surrounded me.

My eyes were fixated on one particular subject: an owl perched in the distance. The animal had been out and about for longer than me, soaring from one tree the next, as if it was looking for something. I suddenly felt as if I could sympathize with the poor creature. For weeks now I had been searching, searching for reason behind his actions, his words. And just like the owl my endeavor seemed pointless, for what we both had our hearts on finding proved to be far out of our reach.

But in moments the bird did one thing I could not: take off into the clear air. The owl could escape, leave with only himself. With merely a dozen strokes of his magnificent wings he was out of my sight, off to find something else of his hearts content, since obviously what lay in those trees was not worth the effort. The animal seemed so sure of it, of himself.

That was where the two of us parted ways, in more than just the miles between us. I for one could not move on, I couldn't stop my heart from looking, from searching. There was simply too much uncertainty to call it quits. I still believed that there was hope for the two of us yet.

Though the trials ahead put my faith in love on strain.

I took a lung full of the crisp air in a pathetic attempt to clear my head, though the action did nothing but remind me of how bitterly cold it was out there. I shivered violently against an upcoming wind and retreated back to my dim-light room.

With a quick closing of the window I was inside once again, feeling extremely confined compared to the open air that I just had parted. I looked around the room solemnly, eying all of my ownings. The room was neat nothing out of its place. It was the same as it had always been...but now I didn't feel so at home.

I checked my alarm clock: three-thirty a.m. If there was any chance of sleep for me I would have to go to bed now. I crawled onto my four poster and draped my quilt over me. Though now I was warm, sleep did not want to come my way. Instead my thoughts returned to the boy that seemed to be haunting me on a regular basis: Kevin Levin.

For a simple description he was the most infuriating person I had ever met, but those words make seem of me having a dislike towards him, which was not the case at all. He was infuriating because he had made me fall in love with him.

At least...I had thought it was love. I hadn't exactly had previous experience with the matter, but I knew that my feelings were much more than of the crush status. Love seemed to be the only other plausible explanation.

So I came to the conclusion that I was in love with Kevin.

That of course did no good for me considering that the two of us were polar opposites. I was the good girl, the child that every parent wished that they had. I made straight A's. I didn't backtalk. In most adults eyes I was perfect, though the character I was portrayed to be made me at times wish I could internally combust.

Kevin for the other matter was the rogue, the bad guy. He rarely came to school. He spent time in the Null Void. He was the car obsessed, tough exteriored male that was the center of many teenage girls' sexual fantasies, whether he knew it or thought made me extremely boy could get any girl. Why did he waste his time around Gwen Tennyson?

Of course...some would tell me that I could do much better as well.

The most aggravating detail of it all is that there not even a relationship between us. The only thing that we did together that could possibly qualify as a date would be the time that he...well he _tried _to take me to my spring formal. The night didn't exactly go as planned.

But I knew he liked me. I would catch him staring at times. He was so overprotective. And how he acted around me, talked to me just...well it just told me.

And he knew I liked him as well. I think he got a little kick about it, because he knew that the fact that I did alone drove me crazy. That made it ten times as much fun for him when he would tease me.

Or in other words flirt with me.

But Kevin would never admit that, and that was what cause me to stay up all hours of the night. I couldn't understand why he was so scared to start a relationship, to admit that he cared.

Before I knew it I was asleep, though only for a few hours.

My alarm awoke me a mere two and a half hours later, and I wanted nothing but to throw it into the nearest wall. Rest was the only thing I needed, more than food or water or air. I had it in my right mind to just lay out of school, but I had an english exam that I didn't need to miss.

So I groggily got out of bed and gor ready for the day to come.

I was running late by the time that I showered and dressed, so breakfast was out of the question. I nearly ran down the stairs after I grabbed my book-bag and purse, and was almost out the door until-

"Hold up, kiddo. What's the rush?" spoke my father from the living room. He sat in his recliner, newspaper in his hands. He scanned the pages with fascination just the same as every morning, then looked up to me, "Aren't you going to say hello or good morning? Any acknowledgement would be nice."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I just-"

He chuckled. "I know. I know. You're running a little late this morning. I just wanted to talk to you before you ran off."

"Oh." I tucked a stay of my hair behind an ear and reached for the door.

"Oh, wait, Gwen. You're boyfriend's out there."

I stopped dead on the spot. "M-my who?" I whirled around to face my father.

"Yeah, you know, that Levin kid. He's the guy I met when...my mom visited."

"You mean when you're mother blew in the front wall of my house," called my own mother's voice from the kitchen.

"Yeah," my dad replied, rubbing the back oh his head. "Anyways he's here."

"But-but why?" I was astonished.

"He said he wanted to give you a ride to school," the man said simply, adjusting his glasses.

"But-but-" He wanted to give me a ride to _school_?

"I think it's sweet," my mom piped in as she entered the living room. "I'm glad Gwen has a boy that'll do things like that for her."

"But-but we're not-"

"Well go on sweetie. You don't want to keep him waiting." Mrs. Tennyson rushed me out the door, not giving me a chance to speak, and sure enough, there he was.

Kevin stood in my driveway, slightly leaning against his green Camero. He had on sunglasses, his favorite jacket, and the rest of his usual attire. He smiled when he saw me. "Well good morning, Gwen. You look nice toda-"

"Why are you here, Kevin?" I interrupted, now a few feet from him.

"I came to give you a ride. I thought that maybe-"

"Why are you here, Kevin?" I was now face to face with him.

"Can't I just come here to see if a pretty young girl needed a-"

"No. Now why are you here, Kevin?"

"Fine." He took off the sunglasses. "I have a tiny little issue that I need your help with."

"See? That sounds a little more believable." I readjusted my book-bag and walked over to the passenger side of the car.

Once I was in Kevin began to explain. "Okay. You know that Stephanie Clements girl that goes to your prep school?" he asked as he turned on the engine.

My stomach clenched. "What do you want me to ask her out for you or something?"

"_Hell_ no!" He pulled out of my drive way and headed towards my high school. "_She's_ my problem."

"Um...why? My uneasiness left. At least he didn't want to date her.

"She's been _stalking _me."

I went into a fit of laughter. "She's stalking you?"

"Yeah. She's been following me around, and trying to get me to ask her out. It's driving me crazy."

I continued to laugh hysterically.

"It's not funny." He turned left. We were now about seven minutes from our destination.

"Yes it is," I replied, trying to stifle my giggles. "So _how_ do you need my help exactly?"

"Well...."

"_Well_?"

"I was wondering if you could help me give her the hint that-that I don't like her."

What? "I'm not following you."

He started to blush. Did I miss something?

"Well that was why I came to pick you up. I though that maybe-maybe if she saw that I like someone else, then she's leave me alone."

Wait. "You want me to pretend to be you're girlfriend?"

"Please?" We pulled into the parking lot.

"Why me?" I asked, grabbing my purse.

"I'm a horrible actor, but with you it would be easy." He jumped out of the Camero and ran around to my door.

I thought I was going to hyperventalate. Did he just admit that he liked me? That's what it sounded like.

He opened my door and held out his hand. "_Well_?"

I fully admit that I got some sick enjoyment in this. Besides I never liked Stephanie Clements. "Sure." I placed my hand in his, and he helped me out of the car.

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A/N: What will happen next? So what did you guys think? Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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**Chapter Two**

Kevin helped me out of his car and took my book bag out of my hands. "See I'm being all polite and holding your stuff for you."

"Which is extrememly out of character." I closed the passenger door. "Are you sure this is going to work? And why do you care so much about what Clements thinks anyway?"

I don't care about what she thinks. It's just-" he began but paused, then intertwined his fingers with mine, "-it's just that she's starting to follow me around so much that I'm worried she might..._notice_ some things."

"Notice what _things_," I pressed as we started to walk towards the entrance.

"That I'm...well more like we're _different_ from her."

"Oh...of course." Why hadn't I thought of that before. Of course that's why Kevin didn't want Stephanie to know him too well. It's not casual conversation to mention having alien ancestory, or worse that you have their abilities meshed into your DNA.

"I thought you would have guessed that earlier," Kevin chuckled. We were closer to the building now. I adjusted my purse with my free hand, and that uneasy feeling that devoured my stomach a moment during the ride over filled my inside again.

"Kevin?" I asked, looking straight ahead.

"Yeah?"

"If...if you didn't have alien powers would...would you consider going our with Stephanie Clements?"

He stopped abruptly, hands tightening slightly around my own. "Why in the hell would you think that I'd want to date her?" he asked as he turned his body towards me.

"Well-I-I-you just said that-that it didn't really matter what she thought. You said it was because you didn't want her to find out about what we are." I hadn't looked at him yet, embarrassed that I had even asked.

"And I don't."

"Well...I was just wondering if that was the-the _only_ reason."

"No, 's like a thousand reasons." He pulled on my hand, motioning me to continue walking. "I'm not attracted to her."

"But she's pretty. I mean, just about every guy at this school is in love with her."

"Well those guys are idiots." We were a few yards from the door now.

"For liking Stephanie?"

"Not for liking her in particular. I guess I was just the only one who fell for the girl they _should _be in love with."

"_What_?" I asked as we reached the steps. Now who was he talking about? I wanted to think-well it didn't really matter who I wanted him to love.

"Clements is over there," Kevin stated, completely ignoring my question. I looked over and sure enough she was, shooting daggers towards me.

"Well, she hates me now." I looked back towards my pretend boyfriend. He was just smiling.

"Oh, she's gonna hate you even more in a minute...and she's walking towards here," he mumbled.

"Why is she-"

"So I'll pick you up at seven then?" Kevin asked loudly enough so approaching Stephanie could hear.

"Uh," I replied, caught off guard. "Yeah, of course." Kevin then handed me my book bag and gave me a quick hug.

"Great. I'll see you then." He turned to make his leave, but then paused.

"Kevin?" Did he forget something? I wasn't sure.

But before could dwell on the question further, Kevin turned back towards me, quickly pressed his lips against mine, and took off in the direction of the parking lot.

"Well wasn't that precious," spoke Stephanie as she stepped to my side.

"Wha-Oh hi, Steph." I turned to face yeah.

"Yeah...hi." Her tone proved that she wasn't exactly happy to be saying it.

"Do you need something?" I asked, hoisting my book bag onto my shoulders.

"Just to ask you something...if that's alright with you."

Something told me that it didn't really matter to her if it was alright with me or not. "Sure, is it?"

She tossed her blonde locks back, planting a fake smile across her face. "Um...I was wondering...how long have you and Levin been...uh-"

"_Involved_?" I asked.

"Yeah...." In other words, she was wondering why in the hell was he wasting his time with me.

But sadly I was wondering the same thing.

Wait. It wasn't real. Somehow I seemed to have forgotten

I decided that in order for me to keep any of this up, I would need to stay as close to the truth as possible. "Well, Steph, not too long. We've been in an awkward stage for a few weeks now. This is the first official date that he's actually asked me on."

"Oh.... So nothings set in stone, huh? Thanks, Gwen!" With that she left me at the foot of the entranceway steps, my mouth agape.

"She's going to try and steal him from me," I muttered to myself as I made my own way through the school's doors. "How could she try to...." I came up to my locker and dialed in my combination. "If someones with someone else, you shouldn't try to...." I grabbed my English Lit. textbook. "Uh...what am I saying!" I slammed the locker shut. "I don't even have him!"

"Gwen, are you okay?" spoke a concerned voice to my left.

"Huh?" I turned my head. Danielle Styler was standing next to me: one of my only _real_ friends at this school. Although she didn't know about my secret...uh...identity, she knew more than anyone else that I talked to here.

"Well?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, Dan. I'm fine." I looked back at my locker. "I'm just frustrated."

"About Stephanie?"

"How'd you-"

"Oh, she was talking about you when I passed her down the hall." Danielle pointed a finger behind her, towards Stephanie's locker. The girl was there, making elaborate hand gestures about something.

"Of course she was."

"Yeah, her gossip is nothing new, but _you _being involved caught my attention." Danielle raised an eyebrow.

I groaned. "What did she say?"

"I didn't catch all of it, but she's obviously pissed at you about Kevin Levin."

"She said that?" I asked, leaning against my locker.

"No, but she kept talking about how easy it would be for her to steal her from you. So in other words: you got him and she didn't. Is that the case?"

"Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"Walk with me." The two of us headed towards our first period. "Kevin and I aren't _really _together."

"But he kissed you."

"How'd you-"

"Another thing Steph was blabbing about.'' We walked into the classroom, then sat down at our assigned seats.

"Well, he did, but...."

"_But_?"

"He was only pretending."

"What in the world are you talking about." Danielle pulled out her binder and began to write down the our early class assignment on the board. We were still a few minutes early for class. Only a couple students other than us had entered the room.

"He asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend today." I explained, pulling out my notebook as well.

"Uh..._why_?"

"Because, according to Kevin, Stephanie has been stalking him on a regular basis."

Danielle snorted. "Seriously."

"Yeah, I guess."

"That would explain why she's so upset about it." Styler touched the tip of her chin with her pencil. "And why she was talking about _you_, too."

"Wait. How does her-"

"Gwen, _no one_ gossips about you. You're like a saint. You don't do anything to bother anybody."

"Uh...is that a compliment or and insult."

"It depends on who you're talking to."

"Huh?"

Danielle groaned and turned towards me. "Okay. If you're speaking to Clements, it would be an insult. To her you're just a boring, goody-goody, but if you were speaking to....let's say Josh Turner, it's a compliment. He likes the fact that you're a decent person."

"Yeah, he _really_ likes it, hence the fact that he's asked me out five times this semester."

"Yep, and each time _you_ have refused, which brings me to my conclusion."

"_You_ have a conclusion now?"

"You bet I do."

"Well then please elaborate." I sat my pen down and waited for Danielle's conclusion.

"You see, Gwen, you may be a good girl, but deep down, that bores you."

"Uh-huh...meaning?"

"You go for the bad guy."

"_What_?"

"Kevin."

"Danielle I told you," Stephanie then walked into the room, so I leaned closer to my friend to whisper, "we are just pretending."

"But you like him."

"Danielle, I-"

"Okay, class. Take your seats," spoke Mrs. Ranburn, my obese, ancient English teacher. "I hope everyone did their homework last night."

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I hardly spoke to anyone, even Danielle for the remainder of my classes. She just assumed that what she said got me, which it did. I hated how she knew me all too well. But what Danielle didn't understand, and never really could without me telling her my secret, was the other reasons that I liked Kevin. Sure, I admit that the bad guy thing was appealing to me, but there was so much more to Kevin. He was a hero. He was...everything and more. I couldn't even explain it.

Of course his actions did confuse the hell out of me. For some reason I had the feeling that him kissing me was part of his original plan for the "fake girlfriend" scheme. But it didn't matter. I couldn't exactly prove it, and I wasn't going to ask about it either.

I rode Bellwood's public transportation, or in latent terms the bus, home that evening, which was my usual way of getting to and from school. My mind kept going over that morning, replaying the images continuously. Though my eyes were directed towards the blur of passing vehicles, the only thing they saw was Kevin.

I got home around four-thirty, did my homework, cleaned my room: routine things. No alien activity had been occuring, so for a moment I was a normal girl doing normal things. But I had to admit after becoming accustomed to stopping the forces of evil on a regular basis, normal things seemed dull.

At six-thirty I grabbed my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, and began to devour its contents. For twenty minutes I was lost into the world of Elizabeth Bennet until a knock came from my bedroom door.

"Gwen?" my dad asked from outside my room. "That Levin boy's here for you. He said the two of you have a date.

I stood up abruptly, my heart racing. I had thought that was just a cover up. I didn't expect him to actually come.

"Is that right, honey. Did you make plans with-"

"Oh yes, sir. Could you tell him to hold on for just a second?" I was still having trouble believing that he was telling me the truth.

"Sure, sweetie. No problem." With that my dad retreated down the stairs.

I then ran over to my dresser mirror, made a quick check of my make up, then brushed my hair. I was ready within minutes

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A/N: So Kevin really showed. What do you make of that? Please review and tell me your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 in any shape or form.

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**Chapter Three**

I descended the staircase hesitantly, unsure of exactly what I'd find when I reached the bottom. My father did say that Kevin was there, but the idea of it seemed so unusual, like him being outside of the house that morning. Part of me thought I was in some kind of bizarre dream.

When I peeked around the corner, I suppose my dream decided not to end, because he was there, smiling uncomfortably as my mother doted over him. He looked so unsure, so embarrassed. It felt almost as if it was a _real _date by the way he looked and moved. I stood and watched for a few moments until he noticed me.

"Oh, hey, Gwen." He jumped up a little too quickly, startling my mother. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y-yeah, just let me grab my jacket." I walked over to the coat rack that was nestled a few feet away and grabbed the item. "Okay. I'm set."

"Great." Kevin made his way to the front door and opened it, motioning me to follow suit.

"Take good care of my daughter now, and be back at a decent hour," my father commanded, though a smile was plastered on his face.

"Y-yes, sir," the raven-head stuttered. He led me out of the door and into the cool night.

"Have fun, you two," my mother called as Kevin shut the entrance way door.

The sky was just as clear as it had been the night before, and the air was just as crisp. I pulled my jacket closer as I reached the passenger door of Kevin's Camero, thousands of questions exploding in my head, though none I could seem to ask out loud.

"You know, your parents really seem to like me," Kevin stated, opening my door for me.

"Yeah, well that's because they don't know the _real _Kevin," I teased as I climbed into the passenger seat.

"Lucky for them." He closed my door, then walked over to the driver's side. He got in alongside me, though failed to yet start the engine. "You're probably a tad bit confused about this, huh?" he asked, wrapping his hands around the steering wheel.

"Try a _huge_bit," I replied. "I thought that this was just a thing to drive Stephanie bonkers, not an actual da...." I trailed off then, feeling quite foolish. "I'm sorry. You never actually said that-"

"Yeah. But I never actually said that it _wasn't _one either."

"What?" I turned to face him, my astonishment clear on my face. He did nothing by stare ahead, though I could clearly see the pink imprint of his cheeks.

"Well...at first I only said that to try and get Clements to understand that...well, I don't like her, but then I thought...."

"_Kevin_? Are you-"

"_Please_, Gwen. It's taking everything I've got just to say this." He looked down to his lap, his face reddening even more. "I thought that maybe we could try to-to be real. I-"

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Say no more."

"I don't think I can," he admitted, touching his cheek with the tip of his fingers.

"So where are we going?" I asked with my head tilted to the side.

"Can't tell. It would ruin the surprise." With that he turned on the engine and pulled out of my drive way, off to his unknown destination.

My heart was having a tough time beating in normal rhythm, and my thoughts felt like they were going to ring out of my ears. We were on a real date, a real, non-fake date. I was on cloud nine.

For a period of the drive I was familiar with my surroundings, but after a few turns I had no idea where I was. Neither of us spoke, and I was perfectly fine with that. There was something calming about the silence between us. I felt like nothing needed to be said, and I suppose him the same. I was just happy that he was sitting next to me and wanting to be there.

We eventually pulled onto a dirt path that was lined with drooping willows. With the moonlight shining overhead, the road seemed magical, almost as if we were about to drive into a fairy tale.

"It's beautiful," I whispered in awe, my eyes darting from one piece of the scenery to the next.

Kevin glanced at me and smiled. "Yeah, you ar-uh-I mean, _you _haven't even seen the best part yet."

Soon enough the road ended onto what seemed to be a meadow. The entire proximity was surrounded by the same trees as the road, and a brook was flowing a few yards in the distance. The moon shone on us from the pitch sky.

"Kevin, this is-" I stepped out of the car, my mouth agape. "Wow...."

"I know, right?" he agreed as he exited the car as well. "I found this place a couple of weeks ago. I come here to think." He walked over to a patch of grass of took a seat. I followed in suit.

"So, why'd you bring me here?" I asked as I sat beside him.

"I thought if anyone, you'd appreciate it." He smiled at me, then looked up to the sky.

"I do, Kevin. It's amazing. Thank you for sharing it with me." I placed my hand on top of his, and he clasped it in response.

"Nobody else knows about this place. I've been here dozens of times and haven't seem a soul."

"Maybe it was made for us then." My eyes began to look across the area, enchanted by the beauty that surrounded them. After a moment I noticed Kevin watching me. "What?" I asked, worried that I did something stupid.

"You really like it here?"

"Of course."

"Well, then." He stood up and helped me to my feet. "It is officially our secret place. Whenever you want to come here, I'll bring you, even if it's two in the morning."

"I'll remember that," I giggled.

"You better." He gazed at me for a moment, then back to the field that surrounded us. "I'm sorry I kissed you, too. I know you weren't expecting it."

"Why are you sorry for showing me signs of affection?" I looked to him puzzled. "My breath didn't smell or anything, did it?"

"Wha-No! It just...felt like I...stole it from you I guess. Like I didn't give you the chance to say if you wanted it or not."

"Well, you didn't, but I liked the spontaneity. It was romantic."

"But it made me feel guilty."

"So randomly kissing someone is a crime now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe..." He shrugged his shoulders and suppressed a laugh.

"Well, then." I closed the space between us, grinned mischievously, and planted a kiss on his lips. Then I took off in the opposite direction. "I guess I'm a criminal now!" I called as I ran.

Kevin burst of laughter and took pursuit after me. Because he was quicker than me he had caught up within seconds, but he then tripped and knocked me on top of him.

"Well this is interesting," I stated, my breath slightly uneven. My eyes gazed into Kevin's, though something was different in them. They seemed longing.

"Gwen...I think I'm going to kiss you," he murmured, his velvet voice hypnotizing me.

"I think I might let you," I whispered in response.

He cupped my face with his hands and brought his lips to mine, sweet, gentle movement. But the kiss suddenly turned into a more desperate affair, and I felt his hands begin to wander. My mind began to panic, but for some reason I couldn't stop kissing him. It was going to happen. I felt it...but then....

He stopped. Kevin's hands and lips froze, and he stopped. I looked back into his once longing eyes that were now filled with terror and guilt.

"I-I need to-to get you home," he stammered, pulling himself from under me. I sat down on the cool grass, feeling partly relieved but mostly another emotion that I couldn't overcome: I felt like I had been refused, like he didn't want me. And it was a miserable feeling.

"I-I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. Tears began to swell up in my green eyes, and I struggled to get myself up.

"Oh, Gwen. No." Kevin pulled me up and wrapped me in his arms. "You know that I think you're the most beautiful person in the world, but you really don't want to do this. And I could never live with myself for making you. We're not ready for that." He kissed my forehead. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of-course-I do," I stated between sniffles. "I was just...overwhelmed I suppose."

"Come on. Let's get you home." We slowly made our way back to the Camero and back to the rest of the world.

Along the drive home I felt heat getting to me, though it was bitterly cold outside. I assumed it was the aftermath of what happened and my embarrassment. I took of my jacket and placed it on the center console. I didn't utter a word to Kevin, and he did nothing to break the silence, yet this one was a lot colder than the one we had on the ride over

When we pulled into my driveway it was ten fifty-two: not too late. My parents wouldn't be upset with it. I stepped out of the car, my hands shaking, and Kevin walked me to the door.

"You probably hate me now, don't you?" he muttered as we reached the door mat.

"Wha-No, Kevin! I could never hate you." I couldn't understand how he could possibly think that. It was physically and mentally impossible for me to hate him.

"Thank, God," he murmured almost incoherently, then looked up hopefully. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

"I can't wait." He kissed me gently on the lips, then retreated back to his car. I sighed and opened the front door.

To my surprise I found my mother waiting for me, a stern look on her face. She sat on the living room sofa, legs crossed and eyebrows knitted. She looked at me with pure disappointment.

"Uh...I'm...confused. What happened?" I closed the door behind me, and my father joined us in the living room.

"Gwendolyn, has there been something that you've been hiding from us?" My mother asked, tucking a stray hand of her red hair behind an ear.

I searched my mind, but found nothing of consequence. I had no idea what she could be meaning. "I...don't think so, ma'am."

"Think about it, honey," my father commanded as he sat down beside his wife.

"Guys, I _really_don't know what you're talking abou-"

"I had a very interesting conversation at the grocery store earlier this evening, while you were out," my mother stated, uncrossing her legs.

And what did that have to do with anything? "O...kay."

"With Mrs. Clements."

With who? What did Stephanie say? Oh, God! "R-really."

"Yes...and she was very concerned over her daughter. You know, Stephanie?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Well, the poor girl came home crying today, upset about a boy by the name of Kevin."

I was going into shock. "A-and w-what did she s-say."

"That the boy had led her on, put her into some uncomfortable situations, and-"

"THAT'S A LIE!"

"Calm yourself, Gwendolyn!" my mother warned. "How could you possibly accuse that young girl of lying about something like-"

"Because she is!"

"Gwendolyn Tennyson! Don't interrupt your mother!" My father yelled from his seat.

I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe that this conversation was even happening.

"That wasn't all I heard either. The boy has a truancy issue, a criminal record."

"Mom, he's not at all what you think!"

"How do you know what he is! He could easily be playing yo-"

"He would _never_-"

"Gwen, I _told_ you!" my father scolded.

"You can't see that boy again." My mother stood.

"_What_!? No!"

"_Yes_! You will in no ways be in contact with that boy again."

"But what about-"

"If Ben and you wish to carry on what you have been doing, Kevin Levin will take no part in it."

"H-how could you." I put one hand against the wall, preventing myself from collapsing along with the rest of my life.

"Gwen, honey." She walked over to me. "I just don't want you doing anything that you might regret." She put a hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off.

"You don't _trust_ me?"

"It's not that, sweetie," my dad spoke and stood up as well. "It's _him_ we don't trust."

"But you don't even _know _him. And even if his intentions weren't honest, don't you have enough faith in me to say no?"

"Gwen, dear," my mom began, "When it comes to relationships, boys can easily persuade-"

"No! He wouldn't!"

"Our decision is final, Gwendolyn."

"I hate you," I ran to my room and slammed my door behind me, never feeling as betrayed as I did then.

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A/N: And the dilema begins. What did you guys think?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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A/N: Okay. A reviewer pointed out a similarity between my story and Twilight, which I didn't even _think _about when I wrote the second chapter. I'm just informing that I didn't steal from that story. The meadow thing was just an oppurtunity for Kevin to open up to Gwen. That's all.

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**Chapter Four**

I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. How could they!? I was at a loss of words, of thoughts. I couldn't function, only cry. There was no way I could simply forget about Kevin. I couldn't _live _without him. But how could I deny my parents? They had done nothing in my life but care for and love me. I couldn't betray them.

But if I didn't I'd be betraying my heart.

I brought my knees to my chest and wiped my puffy eyes. I knew I was at a crossroads. My decision would not only change how I lived my life, but how I thought of it, as well as others. Now I only had to chose.

But what?

A sudden knocking came from my bedroom window. I looked up to find Kevin perched on the roof, holding up my jacket that I must have left in the car. I stared in disbelief for a moment before coming to my senses and letting him in.

"Uh...yeah, you left this." He crawled in throuh the now open window and handed me my jacket.

"Thanks," I said as I grabbed it. "But why didn't you come to the-"

"Well, I did at first, but then I-"

"Oh, _God_! You heard them didn't you?" I gasped and faltered back, puting a hand on my chest.

"Yeah...." He leaned back against the window seel, his eyes looking to his feet.

"Oh, Kevin, I am _so_ sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything. This is all my fault."

"No. It's Stephanie Clements'."

"Who wouldn't have even started anything if I hadn't made you pretend to date me."

"Kevin." I walked over to him and lifted his face up so that he'd see me. "She wouldn't leave you alo-"

"Yeah, well I should have just dealt with it!" He jerked his face away. "I wanted to spend more time with you, and all it did was make all this happen. I wish I never had even asked you."

I was taken back. "But-but if you didn't-"

"None of this would have happened."

"You know, not all of this night was horrible!" Tears began to fill my eyes again.

"It doesn't matter, Gwen. I wish _none_ of it happened."

"...oh." I stepped away from him and sat on my bed. "I get it."

"No you don't." He walked over and sat beside me.

"You don't want me," I elaborated, my head down.

"Not _you_, Gwen. This." He gestured his hands around the room. "I would rather be able to spend every day with you, just being friends than be more and never be able to see you."

"Who said you'd never be able to see me?" I looked up to him.

"Um...lets see...oh yeah your parents."

"I don't care what they say," I said, standing up. I chose which road I'd take, and it was the one leading to Kevin, even if it hurt my parents.

"But _I _do, Gwen. I'm tired of being the bad guy. For once I'm following the rules."

"_Gwen_! I'm hearing voices. Is he in there!" My father yelled as he simultaneously banged on my door.

"No!" I called back, then turned to face Kevin....

But he was gone.

"Gwendolyn Tennyson! Open this door!"

I did as I was told, robotically, unlocking and opening my door with no emotion. I then crawled into my bed, and refused to make a sound as my father searched my room for a teenage boy that wasn't there.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

I ignored my alarm the next morning. There was no way I was going to school. Hell, there was no way I was going to move. I layed in my bed for most of the day, staring at my window and hoping that he would appear.

Until Ben called me.

"Gwen! DNAliens! Abandoned Warehouse! Now!" He hung up the phone before I could reply.

I thought I could ignore him as well, but was up within minutes. I couldn't let Ben fight alone, no matter how much my heart was aching. I dressed slowly and pulled up my hair, not wanting to face the two that I knew would be downstairs.

"So you decided to show us your face today, huh?" My mother asked from the kitchen sink. "Gwen you've slept the whole day. It's nearly five."

"I wasn't asleep, and Ben needs me," I replied apathetically as I opened the front door.

"Kevin Levin better not be-**SLAM**-"

When I reached Ben he was alone, though I wasn't surprised. Still, a tiny pang exploded in my chest. Part of me hoped that he would be.

We fought. Nothing Special. After so many weeks of battling those damned monsters, my mind didn't even want recall them.

"Do you know what's wrong with Kevin?" Ben asked as we boarded the public bus: our way home since we were lacking a Camero.

And the driver....

"Why are you asking me?" I replied after I sat down next to him.

"Well when I called he said that he couldn't fight with us anymore. He wouldn't tell me why though. He just said to tell you he was sorry, so you must know what happened."

He was giving in way too soon. I needed to stop him.

"Ben, can you do me a favor?" I pleaded, which brought concern upon my cousin's face.

"Uh...what's the favor?"

"I need you to stay out just a little longer. Pretend that we're still fighting."

"_Why_?"

"Because my parents won't let me see Kevin, but if they think that I'm still with you, I should be fine."

"But why can't you-"

"Ben, I can't explain everything now. There isn't enough time, but _please_! You can call me when it's getting too late."

"Sure, Gwen, but-"

"Oh, and can you fly me to his house?"

"...yeah." With that Ben transformed into big chill and flew the two of us out of there. Strangely not a soul on the bus noticed our departure.

Ben had me at Kevin's doorstep within five minutes. "You don't have too long. I won't be far." He then flew off.

It was the moment of truth.

I breathed in deeply, then knocked on the door. It took a few moments, but I was eventually answered.

Kevin opened the door groggily. He looked tired, frustrated. I was sure he hadn't slept the whole night, but his fatigue was unreadable when he noticed who was at the door.

His eyes widened. "Go home, Gwen."

Then he slammed the door in my face.

"DON'T YOU DARE, KEVIN LEVIN. YOU COME BACK AND TALK TO ME!" I screamed at my loudest ability and knocked my fists against his front door.

"I already did. Last night. Now go home!" he called from inside.

"No! I'm not finished with you!"

"Well, I am finished, Gwen."

"Please talk to me." My head was leaning against the door, and my familiar tears were beginning to downpour.

"What is there to say," he whispered, clearly just on the other side.

"Why are you giving up on us?"

"It's the right thing to do, the honorable thing to do."

"Since when did you give a damn about what was the right thing to do!"

"Since I met you!"

We didn't speak for a moment. The only sounds were my never ending sobs.

"What is so bad about being with me?" I asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

"Nothing. It's what I have to _do _to be with you that's the problem."

"And what is that exactly? _Lie_?!"

"Yes! And I don't want to!"

"Why! You've done worse!"

"Gwen.... I haven't stolen anything in two months. I don't drag race anymore. I've been going to school. I don't even cuss as much anymore. You've changed me."

"But you're willing to forget about me."

"I could _never _forget about you."

"But you're willing to try."

He didn't respond to me.

"Remember that time we were watching The Notebook?"

"What?"

"And you said what Allie's mother did to her and Noah was a horrible thing, keeping then apart. You said that they sould have ran away and stayed together. What makes this any different?"

"That was a _story_, Gwen."

"So. Everyone's life is a story. You didn't think that them lying and going against her parents would be wrong, but it's different with us."

"I had never been in that position when I watched that movie, Gw-"

"I don't care! Why are you so scared? The _real _Kevin wouldn't be. He's the one who changed me. He taught me how to not be afraid, to trust myself!"

"But he doesn't want you to change. He wants you to be the same, to be good. I don't want you to be like me."

"You are _not _a bad person, Kevin. You just accept the world as it is and are willing to behave accordingly to it."

"I'm just finding it hard to believe you."

"I know you better than anyone, Kevin. Even yourself."

He didn't answer.

"Tell me, Kevin, please! Why aren't I worth the risk, huh!? Why aren't I worth the risk!?" I pounded on the door again.

My cell phone rang.

"You're parents?" he choked out.

"Ben. He can't cover for me any longer." I started to cry again. " I guess there's no use. I guess that you don't really love me."

With that Kevin opened the door.

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A/N: The notebook thing happened in my random objects story just to let ya know. Now please let _me _know what you thought of the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, and I doubt I ever will.

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A/N: As a warning for all of the readers who have gained an interest in my little story here, my updates will probably be longer spaced out for the next few weeks, since school is back in session. I have a million of other things I have to do, so I won't have as much time to write as I did over the break. Sorry if the wait is agonizing or anything, I'll do the best I can.

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**Chapter Five**

He opened the door, and all of the anger and resentment that was overwhelming me moments before suddenly vanished. In their stead, I was attacked with embarrassment and regret. My confidence was gone, and I now regretted every word I just said to him.

I quickly looked down, hardly seeing his face before I directed my eyes to the hardwood of his porch. My face turned red, and my tears were not ceasing to flow, though now I knew they were falling for an entirely different reason.

I felt I had made a mistake.

It was a stupid thing to say, an ignorant thing. Not once did Kevin ever said that he loved me. I merely assumed. I twisted any affection he had towards me into something that most likely had not even existed.

I started to back away, stuttering what my mind was desperately trying to make sense. "I-I'm s-sorry. You-you never said that-"

"Gwen?"

I chanced a look up, mortified of what I might see when I did. He spoke no more. And his facial expression was unreadable. But his eyes...his eyes seemed to be screaming at me. Onyx coals trying to profess every secret that they have ever known.

But I was afraid to assume his feelings anymore.

I took another step back, feeling slightly woozy and a little malshaken. And he just looked at me, though his eyes were still trying to say something I my mind could not understand, but my heart seemed to be translating perfectly.

"Gwen." He advanced forward, and I caught my breath. He grabbed my shoulders roughly, but not painfully, and I swear I saw his eyes glistening from tears as well. "How could you ever, _ever_think that I am anything but crazily and irrevocably in love with you?"

"I...uh-uh-I." I was at a lost of words. My mind couldn't muster a thing to say...so I just stood there, my eyes wide with wonder and amazement.

Then Kevin laughed, though it was a broken one. I could hear the worry and fear in his voice, the same that possessed me. And I knew that the world would not accept us being together, but for that moment the world didn't matter. It was just Kevin and I, he laughing unsurely and I falling more in love by the second. I could live in that moment for eternity.

His laugh, however, soon subsided, and his eyes were searching through me once again. And before I knew it, he leaned forward, pulling me into a passionate and desperate kiss, one like you'd see in the movies. His hands rested on the small of my back, drawing me as closely as possible against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let all my worries sink into oblivion.

But of course with my luck, and the luck of all die-hard romantics, Ben showed up, bringing all of those fears and reality back to the surface.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," my cousin stated as he landed, transforming hisself from Big Chill to human.

"Hey, Ben," I greeted after I pulled away from Kevin. "Time goes by fast." I wiped my eyes and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm _really _sorry, Gwen, but my mom started to call. It seems that yours talked to her about...Kevin. She didn't tell me exactly what happened, but I have the general idea now."

"They think I'm a worthless piece of shit that'll break their daughter's heart," Kevin stated matter-of-factly, his hands in his pockets and his face towards the clear sky.

"Way to put it lightly," I muttered, my own eyes fascinated with my shoes.

"Well, _they _aren't. Like you said, Gwen, I accept the world as it is. Maybe you should, too." He said the last sentence coldly, the anger that I had felt on his door step seemed to be phasing into him now.

"Kevin, I-"

"This isn't gonna end well, _Gwen_. If we keep this up, they_ will _find out. It'll only be a matter of time."  
"I _know_, but-"

"But nothing."

My heart was beginning to shatter once again. "So you're still where you stood earlier? You just wanted to get a quick kiss and mess with my head before the big farewell?"

He looked up to me shocked. "No! I'm just telling you that it's not going to last, Gwen. We won't be able to-"

"But we should make the time we will be together worth it." I leaned over to him and pecked him on his cheek. "I have to go." Then I walked over towards Ben.

"I'll take you to school tomorrow."

"Wha-"

"I'll be a flew blocks down the street, far enough so your parents won't see. Just start heading the normal way you do."

I smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Ben transformed again and took me home. Though one obstacle was out of my way now, plenty of more would be coming soon enough.

That evening I was restless. I had to keep up appearances, I couldn't act too cheerful around my mom and dad. Although things weren't exactly as happy as I wanted to be, I was no where near the depression that I was the night before. So that evening. I only spoke when spoken to, with very limited answers, and I went to bed early, hoping that they felt as miserable about the situation as I had...and as worried about it as I am now.

When I finally drifted to sleep, I dreamed of Kevin, of a time where we could be together without all of this mess. Ben and Julie were there, too, and we all were just spending time with one another and enjoying our adolescence. It hurt a little too much when I woke up.

I readied for school in the usual fashion: shower, dress, make-up, hair, food, leave. I kept up my anger act to the best of my ability, and left for school a tad earlier than normal

As promised, Kevin was there, leaning against his Camero with a smile on his face. My mood lifted to the highest point possible when I saw that smile.

"Well good morning, beautiful," he greeted, opening the passenger side door for me.

"Good morning, yourself." I kissed him gently on the lips before I climbed into my seat.

The whole duration of the drive was spent in our peaceful silence. He drove, looking a hell of a lot better than he did before, not as tired and worn, and I watched him the entire way, taking in the perfect feeling that I felt just being around him.

When we pulled into the parking lot, he took a deep breath, seeming to be sorting out something important that he felt he needed to say. "Gwen...I want to apologize for how I acted earlier yesterday and before that. I just-"

"You don't have to apologize. None of it was your fault."

"But I broke your heart. I made you think that I didn't care. But it was nothing like that. Baby, I...I was just trying to stop everything there because-because I was afraid that I couldn't handle losing you later."

"You'll never lose me, Kevin. Never."

"I just wanted you to know why I was doing that. I just thought it would have been better that way."

"Do you still think that?"

He peered hard out onto the parking lot, then to me. "Even though it will _always_ probably have been the best way to cut our losses, I could never do it. I can't live without you, Gwen, so I don't see why in the hell I could do that."

"I'm sorry, too, for making you feel guilty and fell like you _had _to-"

"No! I want to thank you, Gwen. You brought me to my senses." With that the warning bell rand across the campus area.

"I only have a few more minutes. I have to go."

"I'll pick you up here. We'll do the same routine I guess, if that's alright?"

"It's not fine. It's great." I opened my door and exited the car. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too."

I walked towards the building, feeling quite was until I realized that a certain little problem was going to be in that building when I entered.

My stomach clenched as I entered the school, though I was fortunate I didn't see her at first. I quickly went to my locker and grabbed my necessary items, then solemnly went to my English class, which she would surely be in.

When I walked in the room, my eyes shot straight for hers, telling her the message that I hope she burns in a very unholy place. She did nothing but smile, thinking that she had won, and in a way she had.

But she would have never suspected me of rebellion.

I sat down in my seat, and Danielle immediately began to question. I told her that I'd tell her everything (minus any alien involvement) at lunch. She calmed for a moment, but kept shooting myself and Stephanie confused glances throughout the class.

Lunch came quicker than I wanted. Anxiety was my only companion as I entered the dining area and found Danielle. We sat away from our usual table, that so no curious ears would pick up on our conversation.

"So...are you to staying together?" she asked after I explained my dilemma.

"I hope so. We're going to try at least."

"Well, I'll cover for you if you ever need an excuse for you to rondevue with your man." She giggled after saying it. "I told you that you'd go for the bad boy."

"And look at the trouble it's gotten me into," I stated, resting my elbows on the table.

"Wow...I never thought I'd see the day when I'd hate your mom, but I guess there's a time for everything. It'll work out, Gwen. Trust me."

I wanted to believe it, with every piece and crevice of my heart, but I knew something worse would happen.

Like Kevin said. It would only be a matter of time.

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A/N: Thoughts? Please review. And thanks for those who have been.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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A/N: Okay, I know it's been an extremely long time since I have updated. My apologies. I was just stressing over the ACTs and was having issues with the chapter. It just wasn't a good couple of weeks. Anyways I'm back on track now, so I hope my updates will be more frequent, especially since Christmas break is coming up. I hope you enjoy chapter six.

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**Chapter Six**

By the time my final class was coming to a close my heart was racing. It was a strange feeling, the overwhelming anticipation of seeing him, but I embraced it. I never wanted that feeling to go away.

The dismissal bell rang, and I walked more quickly than usual to my locker. I could feel a smile creep onto my lips. Although it seemed selfish, I couldn't help but be happy. I hated the circumstances and the fact that I had to lie, but the opportunity of spending time with Kevin made all of the uncertainties within me disappear.

I opened my locker and put away my unneeded items. The butterflies in my stomach were bouncing off its walls. I slammed the door shut and turned to walk towards the exit.

And that's when I saw her.

She was walking in the opposite direction I was, her eyes staring straight into mine. I could see the sick satisfaction on her face as she smiled cruelly.

I was at that moment when I wanted to kill Stephanie Clements.

I had never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt her then. To put it graphically, I wanted to suck all the mana in her out of her eyeballs. The hurt and rage and guilt that was drowning me seemed twice as unbearable when she smiled at me.

I ducked my head down, eyes concentrating on the floor intensively. My fists were clenched. I dreaded coming to school the following Monday.

When I got out of the building I saw his car. My smile showed back onto my face again, only this time it was half hearted. My mind was sorting through what I needed to ask him.

I made it to the Camero within a minute, biting my lip as I climbed into the passenger seat. He looked at me questionably.

"Something wrong?" he asked, turning on the engine.

"I...I need to ask you something, but...." I looked away from him and watched the other cars as he pulled us out of the parking lot. I was regretting bringing the subject up.

"So ask me," he replied simply.

I directed my eyes back to him. "I don't know if I should. You might get mad at me."

He looked at me strangely. "Why would I be mad at you?"

I looked down. "Well...."

He pulled over the car, then unbuckled his seat belt so he turn his body towards me. "What is it, Gwen?"

There was no going back now. "_Please _don't get mad at me, Kevin."

"Gwen, I'm not going to get mad you. Just tell me before I have a stroke."

"...Y-you know when we were younger, and-and you _really _wanted to kill Ben?"

"Oh." He turned back frontwards. His eyes pointed ahead.

I burried my face in my hands. "See, I _told_ you that you'd get ma-"

"No. No. No. W-what do you want know about it."

"It's just," I began, rubbing the back of my neck. " I got _so _angry at Stephanie a few minutes ago. I mean _really _mad."

"O-_kay_." He looked back at me. "But what does that have to do with me and...that."

"I wanted to hurt her, Kevin."

His eyes widened. "Y-you mean you-"

"I wanted to _hurt _her. Kevin, I've never been so mad in my life, and I-"

"You want to know about when I was that mad."

"Y-yeah. You went through a lot, Kevin. There were so many times when you came close to-"

"Yeah, and if it weren't for some sort of miracle, I could have seriously hurt Ben _and _you."

"But you didn't."

"Because I got locked up. Gwen I feel terrible about the things I did and tried to do. I look in the mirror every day and see that beast that wanted to do nothing at eleven years old but kill. I make myself sick." He looked away again, and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

I don't think I've ever hated myself as much as I did that moment.

"I-I'm sorry." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You're really that mad at Clements?"

I felt a tear roll down my face. "She just ruined _everything_."

"No she didn't." He grabbed my hand and began stroking it with his thumb. "She didn't break us up."

"Close enough," I muttered.

He smiled weakly and looked at the clock. "Oh, _shit_! We gotta go!"

He put the car into drive and began to speed towards my house. I saw him glance at me periodically, but it wasn't until he stopped the car when he spoke.

"It looks like you need a distraction."

"You _think_?" I raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"I'll be at your window at two. If you want some sleep I suggest to go to bed early."

"What are we doing?" I asked as I opened my door.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Of course it is." I climbed out of the Camero and shut my door. I heard Kevin honk as he drove off.

I was at my house in a few minutes. Though I was home a little later than usual, my parents didn't stress it. I guess they assumed I had make up work or something.

I went to bed around seven, hoping that I'd get some extent of sleep before Kevin came. My mom did wonder about that, but I told her I wasn't feeling well. I fell asleep with my raven-headed boy in my mind.

A tapping at my window woke me up. Though I was slightly hazed, I could make out Kevin's features outside my window. I was already dressed, so I just washed my face and pulled up my hair before leaving with him.

We got in his Camero and the date began, though this time, it stayed in areas I was familiar with.

"What are we doing?" I asked as he pulled on the road leading to the public lake.

"We're gonna have some fun," he replied.

A small part of me was worried.

Although we were headed towards the lake, Kevin pulled onto a road leading uphill.

I looked at him questionably, but he just chuckled, "You'll see."

He stopped at the top of the hill, where the lake wasn't as wide. The only thing noticable was a railroad bridge that was stretched above the water. I gave him a strange look and stepped out of the car.

After closing my door I leaned against the Camero, my eyes fixated on the stars. It wasn't long before I felt him beside me.

"Do you want to know how I felt when I wanted to kill Ben?" he asked, not looking at me.

"I thought this was supposed to be my distraction," I replied, my eyebrows raised.

"It'll be in a minute. It's just that you caught me off guard, and I didn't exactly answer you earlier. I think that I should explain it to you now that I've thought about it."

"Okay." I rested my head on his shoulder. "Tell me."

"It was like...the only thing I could think about was how mad I was. I knew that deep down I was more hurt, but I let the anger just control me. It felt like my entire world was falling apart."

"I feel the same way," I muttered.

"Well don't let the anger take over. You'll regret it."

We stood there for a moment in silence, the words said between us just sinking in, but it wasn't long before Kevin broke the silence, bringing up my distraction.

"We're gonna play a game," he stated, pulling me towards the direction of the bridge.

"_What_." I tried to resist. "What do you mean, Kevin."

"You'll see."

We walked onto the bridge. The water laid undisturbed below us. I stared at Kevin, concerned, but he merely stared at the lake, a huge grin etched across his face.

"What are you up to?" I asked, looking at the water myself.

"We're gonna jump."

"Very funny," I replied, taking a step back.

"No really." He pulled me back towards him.

"Kevin, we're like twenty feet in the air."

"So."

"And the water has to be freezing."

"Yep."

"Then why are we-"

"Aw, where's your sense of adventure, Gwen."

"At home in my closet," I muttered, peering over into the water.

"Oh, come on. You know you want to." He gave a crooked smile.

"No. Not really."

"I'll be your best friend."

"I can live without that."

"Come _on_."

"No."

"If you do I'll...," he put a finger to his chin in thought. "I'll.... Well, I don't know. I'll do something."

"Kevin-"

"_Please_, Gwen. It'll be fun I promise."

"And how many times have you done this?"

"A few."

I kept my eyes on the water, not believing the words as they came out of my mouth. "Fine."

"That-a-girl." He grabbed my hand and stepped towards the ledge. "And I have towels in my car, so you won't freeze to death later or anything."

"You're gonna owe me after this," I said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I thought so. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Alright then one...two...three!"

We jumped off of the ledge and went soaring into the air. I lost my stomach, but I had to admit there was some thrill in the plunge.

At least until we landed in the water.

It was colder than I could have imagined. I was surprised I could breath. Kevin laughed like an idiot as we swam to the shore, and I grumbled every curse word in my vocabulary.

"You know it was fun," he chuckled as we got out of the water.

"Kevin, I'm freezing. Let's walk."

It took a good ten minutes to get back to the car, and though Kevin kept an arm around me, I was still shivering like mad.

We got to the car and dried off, then he turned on the heat before we headed home. During the drive he kept teasing me of being scared, and I contemplated all of the ways that I was going to get back at him.

I was back at my house around four and was completely exhausted. After a quick kiss goodnight, I was in some warm clothes and in my warm bed, happy to have had a somewhat normal time with Kevin. I wasn't worried about my parents or Stephanie, and I certainly couldn't have then guessed the occurrences that would happen the next day.

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A/N: So what did you think. Please be honest with it.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I suppose that a few apologies need to be made. I know it's been forever since I've posted this-I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!! There were just circumstances that I could not control.

Also, I'd like to apologize for the countless typos in this thing. I reread it to figure out where I was heading with the story and wow.... I really needed to pay more attention back then.

And you know what else? I was quite a cliché little writer at 16. What was wrong with me then?

I'm rambling, aren't I? On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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**Chapter Seven**

I woke up around noon the next day, my body obviously unable to cope with Kevin's late-night adventures. After taking about ten minutes to shake from my zombie-like state, I walked solemnly downstairs, making sure my facial expressions held the look of a depressed teenage girl.

"Look, Honey, she's alive," my dad directed to my mom when he saw me on the stairs. I simply rolled my eyes in return and went to the kitchen table. He followed in my suit.

"Frank, do you honestly think teasing her is going to help our cause?" my mother asked him as I took my seat.

"I don't care about your stupid cause," I muttered before my dad could answer, "so there's really no point in you talking about it."

"Oh, come on, Gwendolyn, this really has to stop," my mom chastised. "You can't just mope around and take stabs at us every chance you get."

"And you can't just think that you can ruin my life one day and then pretend like everything's okay the next."

"We didn't ruin your life, Gwen," my dad said as he took a seat next to me. "We just prevented _you _from doing it."

"But I love him," I whispered and then put my head down on the table.

"Honey, you don't love him," my mom argued. "You're too young to truly be in love with-"

I shot up, glaring at her. "But you and Dad were my age when-"

"That was different, Gwen," my dad interrupted.

"Of course it was," I muttered.

"Look, Sweetie, you just need to distract yourself, clear your head, then you'll understand that what you feel for Kevin is only temporary, that he's not worth it."

I pondered that statement for a moment before a completely ingenious thought came to my mind. "Well, then…can I go to Danielle's house for the night? If anyone can distract me, she can."

"I…I don't know, Gwen," my mother stated. "I think it'll be better if you stay here."

"But you just said-"

"Now, now, Katherine, I think it's a good idea," my dad interrupted. "We should let her go. Some girl time can do her some good."

"_Please_, Mom," I pleaded.

"Well…I suppose you-"

"THANK YOU!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "I'll go call her."

"Gwen, wait," my mother stated as I turned to leave. "I'm trusting you, alright? Please don't do anything that might betray that trust."

"I wouldn't do that, Mom," I replied before I left the room.

But in actuality, I wasn't quite sure of the things I would or wouldn't do.

…

Calls were called, plans were made, and I was now at Danielle's house, plotting with her the various amount of trouble we could get ourselves into.

"We _could _go roll Stephanie's house," Danielle suggested, "or we could plant marijuana in her backyard or something."

"And where exactly are we going to get marijuana?" I asked from my seat on her bed.

"Good point…well, there's always-"

"You know what, Dan, how about we limit the moral destruction to a minimum tonight."

"Oh, please, the only reason you don't like any of my ideas is because you're planning some of your own." She climbed off of her bed and walked over to her vanity. "Here," she stated, tossing her phone she had just picked up over to me, "tell Kevin that we'll meet him at the pier."

…

We met Kevin at the pier's entrance, and Danielle, being the wonderful friend that she was, made it her first priority to embarrass the Hell out of me.

"Damn, Kevin, you are as fine close up as she says."

Kevin merely chuckled, but I was completely mortified. I tried to elbow her in the ribs, but she took off in the direction of the crowd, saying something about the bumper cars.

"We should probably follow her before she kills herself," Kevin said, still smiling. He grabbed my hand and led me through the entrance-arch.

It took us about twenty minutes to find Danielle, one because she was at the end of the attractions and two because we kept getting distracted by various things we wanted to do. We found her sitting on a bench beside the cotton candy vender, devouring a giant stack of purple fluff from the cart.

"I was trying to give you guys _alone time_," she stated as we approached her," but no matter, we can just all go into the mirror…house…."

She cocked her head to the side and looked on past us, eyes widening after a couple of seconds.

"What are you staring at?" I asked her as I turned around to look in the same direction.

And that was when I saw her, standing beside one of my school's football players a few yards back. She had an extremely shocked expression on her face, and as soon as our eyes met she quickly pulled out her phone and began dialing a number that could be no one else's but my mother's.

"_Shit_!" Kevin exclaimed as he saw as well. "We've got to go!"

The three of us took off in the direction of the entrance, knocking into who knows how many people as we ran. We were all out of breath when we reached Kevin's car, and had to stop for a second to keep from falling out.

"It'll be better…if you guys rode with me," Kevin said between breathes. "If you take the bus you won't make it back in time."

"Well, what are you planning to do?" I asked, "Run the car a hundred miles an hour?"

Kevin merely smiled.

Why did I even ask?

…

Kevin was pushing the speedometer to its limit, and I was completely terrified, not only because of the potential wreck hazard, but because of the chaos that I was about to be into.

"We should have been more careful," I muttered to myself. "How stupid are we?"

A sharp turn to the left and I was flung against the door.

"Seat belt," Kevin ordered, and I grabbed the strap. "Damn, we really should have been more careful. Whose bright idea was it to go to the pier anyway?"

I pointed back to Danielle who merely scoffed, "Yeah, like _I intended _for her to be there."

We reached Dan's house in a matter of minutes, but to our misfortune my father's car was already in the driveway.

* * *

A/N: Bom, bom bom! What will happen now, children? Be nice and review please, you can even yell at me for not posting in forever if you want…just kidding-please don't yell!!! Take my poll if you want a choice in what I'll be writing next!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Veteran's Day= No school= Time for me do update! Hooray for Veteran's Day! You know it actually won't be long before this story is over…tear ;(

Disclaimer: I only own my stories, not the people in them…well, I own _some _of the people in them, but you get the point.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

We all sat in Kevin's idled car, each of us unsure of what should be done next. Should we just go inside, or wait for our destruction? We didn't know.

Kevin sat almost stone-like, his hands clutching the steering wheel as if they did it for his life. I watched him nervously, terrified to look anywhere but his face. It was all going to fall apart, and after tonight…I wasn't sure how keen Kevin was to keep trying.

"G-guys…they just opened the door," Danielle stated, eyes widening as she spoke. Kevin turned off the car in response and I…well…it took all of _my _strength just to look out of my window.

"Here we go," Kevin muttered, then opened his door and climbed out.

"Wait! What the _Hell _are you doing, Kevin!" I hissed, trying to grab his arm, but he ignored me. Danielle followed his suit and opened her own door, and for a moment I was left alone, sitting terrified in my boyfriend's car while he stood ready to face all the problems.

The guilt is what got me out of the Challenger.

The air seemed so much colder than before as I stepped out, shaking as I waited for my mother or father to speak. Danielle's mother called her inside from the open front door, and all my friend could do was give a sympathetic look and then obey.

For a moment there was only silence, and then, at what seemed the peak of my nervous despair, my mother spoke.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Gwen."

"Mrs. Tennyson," Kevin began. "It's really not-"

"Don't…you speak to me," my mother interrupted, her fists drawn into balls. "In fact…I think it would be better if you just leave."

"You can't talk to him like that!" I cried.

"I can talk to him in whatever way I wish, Gwendolyn!" She glared at me with eyes full of fury. "He has insulted this family, corrupted you, and who knows what else he-"

"_Corrupted me_!?"

"I beg you're pardon, Mrs. Tennyson," Kevin stated, "but to be honest, I don't think it's possible for me to corrupt, Gwendolyn. Even if I tried, she'd be too headstrong to listen to any of it."

"Are you trying to make a joke?" my father asked, disgusted. "Do you not understand the seriousness of this situation?"

"O-of course, I understand, sir. I just…I just-"

"Kevin, just shut-up," I muttered.

"You know, I guess that the only thing left to do is…is to get a restraining order," my mother said, looking at Kevin with utter contempt.

"A _restraining order_?" I asked. "And how is a restraining order going to keep people with _alien _ancestry from each other?"

"Simple," my father replied. "An _intergalactic _restraining order will do just that, and if Kevin comes anywhere near you, he'll be thrown directly into the Null Void. Don't think that we don't know how alien law enforcement works, Missy."

"I…." I was flabbergasted.

"It will be in effect before morning, Mr. Levin," my mother added coldly. "We'll let you say you're goodbyes, but don't try anything sneaky. We're not getting played by you anymore." She then turned to me. "Be in Danielle's house in _five _minutes Gwen. I mean it."

They then walked inside, leaving the two of us with no chance of hope.

"I…, I don't know what to say," I muttered.

"Me either," he said, walking towards me. "I'm not surprised, though. I mean, we knew it was coming."

"I just never thought they could be so cruel," I whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. "What are we going to do?"

"What _can_ we do?" He kissed me on the forehead. "The only thing I can say is that we wait until you're eighteen, because if we try the other route, and I get thrown into the Null Void, it'll be a longer wait."

"I'm not sending you to the Null Void, Kevin…you'd really wait until I was eighteen?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "Look…it's going to be tough, but it's only a few years. We can handle a few years."

I could feel the tears coming on, and he pulled me in closer. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too."

"Gwendolyn!" my mother called from the front door. "The five minutes is up!"

"I'll see you," Kevin stated, now walking towards his car. "I promise."

"Gwendolyn!" my mother repeated.

In a moment he was gone…and I was alone….

* * *

A/N: …please don't kill me people! Cliffhangers are just what happen, okay! But don't worry the story's not over. Please read and review and you will find out soon what happens to the lovely couple!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay…when I first began writing this thing (like a year ago) Ben 10 Alien Force was still in DNAlien stage, so my original storyline included issues involving that club. In other words (so I don't have to change my last few chapters-because I'm not) we are all just going to pretend that we are still in the first two seasons and that DNAliens are still an issue. Everybody got it? Good, let's continue-

Disclaimer: If I owned Ben 10 there'd be a lot of things on there that you can't show on cartoons. My version would probably be worse than a soap opera.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

I didn't sleep at all that night. My mind kept…trying to think of a way to work things out, to make it all better. It wasn't until the early hours of the next morning that I actually gave up hope. I finally realized that Kevin and I could not be together…and there was nothing at all that I could do about it.

Sure I could pitch a fit, sure I could run away…but what good would it do? If I ran I would be caught, and if I resisted Kevin would suffer. I was underage, and I was stuck. It was as simple as that….

Because I wasn't eighteen my opinion didn't matter. Even if I was right and everyone else was wrong, in the world's eyes I was still a child…a child who didn't know any better and who was better off consulting to their judgment.

It was most likely then that I lost my innocence, because despite the battles and wars I had seen, the good still always triumphed over evil. It wasn't until then that I had seen how unfair the world could truly be.

My alarm clock went off at five a.m., unaware of how much I was dreading the day. I got up and dressed lethargically, went along to my morning routine with little an effort. I didn't eat breakfast; I didn't speak to my parents. I walked to school in tears.

…

When I got to the building, I didn't expect it to happen.

Well, to be honest…I wasn't exactly sure of _anything_ that was going to happen. I planned to keep my head low, just go on to class, but then I saw her. I saw her giving me this sick, triumphant smile….

And I lost it.

My muscles clenched in sync with my fists, and I could feel the mana around me at an intensity I had never known before. My eyes began to glow without my consent…and before I knew it, Stephanie Clements was pinned against a nearby wall.

I could hardly hear the shrieks of people around me, could hardly see the students retreat. My concentration was fixed intently on the cold blue eyes in front of me, eyes that if they could themselves would scream. Stephanie was terrified beyond her wits, and I was glad-no-I was ecstatic. In fact…I knew that I would feel even _more _ecstatic if the mana gripped around her neck was just a _little _tighter….

"Gwen, what the _Hell _are you doing!?"

That voice? I turned… releasing Clements from my grip as I saw Kevin's concerned face. The shaking girl now fell no the floor, scared to do anything else but stare at us.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, unable to move, barely able to speak.

He hesitated for a moment and then looked at Stephanie. "Get out of here," he said, watching her closely as she ran down the now nearly vacant hallway.

"What are you doing here, Kevin?" I asked again, this time with a slightly more sturdy voice.

"Why do you think I'm here, Gwen?" he replied, looking at me with a face that could almost be disgust. "I drove by the school, and people were running around like crazy. Some were screaming 'monster'; some were screaming 'aliens'. As a plumber it's my duty to help, but…," He looked at me a moment more, "I didn't' expect this."

I didn't know what to say. Reality was starting to set in, and I didn't like it. The longer Kevin looked at me the more I came aware of what I was capable of doing…of what I was _about _to do.

"Oh my God," I breathed out, collapsing to the floor. "I…I was about to-"

"What _happened _Gwen," he asked me, kneeling down at my side. "I…I've never seen you-"

"She just _looked _at me, Kevin. She just looked at me, and I snapped." I stood up, entire body shaking. "Everyone's right, I _am _a monster!"

"You are _not _a monster, Gwen-"

"_Yes I am_! Kevin, I was going to _kill _her."

He looked at me a moment, as if unsure of what to say, but when he spoke…the words were chosen well. "Gwen if _you're _a monster so am I."

"…Kevin-"

"_No_, Gwen. If you're a monster so am I. Now I've done plenty worse things than you, and you _still _insist I have a heart of gold. Now tell me: am I a monster?"

"_No_, but-"

"No buts, Gwen, and I don't want to hear another word on the subject."

"You just don't-"but my words I couldn't finished, for a crash of enormous size echoed around us. Kevin and I both looked around, eyes settling on a tall, white figure that had just emerged from a collapsed wall.

"Gwendolyn Tennyson," spoke the highbreed, "you're carelessness has exposed us all, and now the consequences shall be severe."

* * *

A/N:…you know….when I started I didn't exactly plan on Gwen to go crazy. It just happened like that…but it gave an excuse for the highbreed to barge in. Please read and review


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